Title: The Silent Swan
Author: Lex Keating
Published: August 26th, 2013
Publisher: AltWit Press
Word Count: 132,000
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Links: Amazon | B&N | Goodreads
Once upon a time – better known as “now” - Gabriel Pritz reigns as king of his high school. Easy grades, perfect baseball season, a pretty date for prom—he's coasting into a golden future. Until his parents demand he cook dinner once a week. Caught between kitchen fires and ballpark withdrawal, Gabe is thrown into Tam Swann's orbit. Hostile, friendless, and stubborn, she's exactly the sort of person he'd prefer to avoid.
Tam's sphere of influence expands beyond Gabe's sad domestic skills, rapidly invading everything from his favorite game to parts of his soul he didn't know existed. It's uncomfortable, it's hard work, it's...making him a better man. And that's just what she does to people she doesn't like. The better he gets to know her, the more he has to face the truth: this sharp, heart-breaking outcast is worth fighting for. How many families, fairy tales, and felons will he go through to ride to the rescue of the bravest person he's ever met?
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Who would I cast in the film version of The Silent Swan...?
It is so funny that you ask this question, because that was the first thing my editor wanted to know. And, like when she asked me, it's not easy to answer. Our girl, Tam Swann, is a dead ringer for her mother, Maya, who looked an awful lot like Natasha McElhone →
I don't know of any young actresses who quite fit that, but I do think either of the Panabaker sisters could pull her off nicely. →
As for Gabe Pritz? Well, on the one hand, we have the lovable voice of Ferb and portrayer of Jojen Reed, Thomas Brodie-Sangster. →
And on the other, we have the somewhat scruffy but certainly interesting Max Thieriot. ←
Decisions, decisions...
Both main characters come with a terrible lot of brothers, of whom Alex Pritz and Mishka Swann are the only two who merit specific direction. The remaining Pritz boys depend on which gentleman you cast for Gabe (Jake must be cuter, and Mike must be taller, so where we set those bars varies), and Tam's brothers are young enough that predictions now would be tricksy.
I would give a left appendage to have Freddie Highmore play Mishka, but I suspect he'd rather have a decent salary and a good script. →
And since we're going for the fantasy team, let's give Alex to Nick Jonas and see what happens... ←
Who else would I need to cast? Gabe's parents? Stephanie and Kerry, definitely. Ooh, and probably Mark Swann.
Gabe's mom, Aileen, is surprisingly easy: Kristin Chenoweth. (She's such a pistol...) →
I almost think it'd be cheating to give Arnold, Gabe's dad, to Karl Urban. All the Pritz boys would have to live up to that... Oh, wait. That'd be a good thing. Never mind. ←
The student council girls don't need to be as willing to get dirty as the rest of the cast, so there's more flexibility, there.
As Stephanie's off-with-her-headness is seldom seen by her minions, perhaps Rachel Hurd-Wood? →
And for Kerry, I'd probably give Alyson Stoner a shot. Provided she was e-vile, of course. ←
Technically, Mark Swann never puts in an appearance in this book.
Only what various characters remember. But for a film, there would be flashbacks and game clips and a surviving picture or two. I might be okay with Jeremy Renner. Maybe. On a day without U's. →
Jake Gyllenhaal might be too much to ask, after all... →
I'm not married to these picks—well, most of them—so if you have a better idea, do let me know...
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Lex Keating has been engaged in a passionate affair with books ever since the Velveteen Rabbit wanted to be Real. She graduated from a liberal arts college with a BA in literature (Sorry, fries are not available at this window...), and currently resides near Charleston, South Carolina, in a swamp full of barbarians and all their cats. She has been a teacher, a paralegal, a computer programmer, and a hospice caregiver. She currently divides her time between studying old fairy tales and making up new ones
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To cast a book must be next to impossible. Good choices!
ReplyDeleteI am in love with that cover, and the book sounds great too. Your casting choices are awesome, whenever I try to imagine a cast I can never get a face in my mind :)
ReplyDeleteLadies, thanks! I had a lot of fun playing casting director. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat choices! :) Thanks for dropping by Ms. Keating!
ReplyDeleteI just realized that this is a retelling of a certain fairy tale I'm not familiar with. I love fairy tale retellings though so this book is certainly in line for a review :)
ReplyDeleteAnd now I can actually picture actual people while I'm reading the book!
Thanks for dropping by Tammy! If you have a blog, we would love and come visit so leave your link next time :)
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